CPI-M Says West Bengal Police Biased

Kolkata: Accusing the West Bengal police of harassing their party workers, hundreds of CPI-M activists on Monday held a demonstration near North 24 Partagas district’s Amdanga block, where three villagers were killed over the formation of state panchayat boards last week. The Left-wing activists led by CPI-M MP Mohammad Selim and other party leaders blocked the National Highway-34, paralyzing movement of vehicles for more than an hour after being stopped by police on their way to Amdanga. “Nobody had objected to our programme till yesterday, but today police stopped us from entering the villages,” CPI-M leader Tanmoy Bhattacharya alleged.

Three persons, including two of state ruling party Trinamool Congress and one activist of CPI-M, were killed in armed clashes at Amdanga over the formation of panchayat boards in a number of villages in the block. The Police have so far arrested 25 persons for perpetrating violence and seized a large number of crude bombs, arms, and ammunition. The Left leaders on Monday accused the police of arresting and harassing their party workers. (IANS)